Rudy LaRusso explained

Rudy LaRusso
Height Ft:	6
Height In:	7
Weight Lb:	218
Birth Date:	11 November 1937
Birth Place:	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Death Place:	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
High School:	James Madison (Brooklyn, New York)
College:	Dartmouth (1956–1959)
Draft Year:	1959
Draft Round:	2
Draft Pick:	10
Draft Team:	Minneapolis Lakers
Career Start:	1959
Career End:	1969
Career Number:	35
Career Position:	Power forward / center
Years1:	–
Team1:	Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers
Years2:	–
Team2:	San Francisco Warriors
Highlights:	5× NBA All-Star NBA All-Defensive Second Team
Stat1label:	Points
Stat1value:	11,507 (15.6 ppg)
Stat2label:	Rebounds
Stat2value:	6,936 (9.4 rpg)
Stat3label:	Assists
Stat3value:	1,556 (2.1 apg)
Bbr:	larusru01

Rudolph A. LaRusso (November 11, 1937 – July 9, 2004)^[1] was an American professional basketball player who was a five-time All-Star in the National Basketball Association (NBA).^[2] He was nicknamed "Roughhouse Rudy."^[3]

Early life

LaRusso was Jewish, and was born in Brooklyn, New York.^{[1] [4] [5]} He attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn.^[6] LaRusso, whose mother was Jewish and father was Italian, won All-City honors and was later inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. He attended and graduated from Dartmouth College.^{[3] [7]} In 1959, playing for Dartmouth, he grabbed 32 rebounds in a game against Columbia, tying an Ivy League record.^[7] He also set Dartmouth records for rebounds in a season (503) and career (1,239), and was twice named All-Ivy League.

Professional career

Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (1960–1967)

He was taken by the Minneapolis Lakers in the second round of the 1959 NBA draft out of Dartmouth College, and played eight years with them and two for the San Francisco Warriors. On November 26, 1959, he scored 15 points and 20 rebounds in a 95–114 loss to the Cincinnati Royals.^[8] He became the second Lakers rookie to have grabbed at least 20 rebounds in a single game, joining teammate Elgin Baylor. On February 24, 1960, he scored a season-high 27 points in a 110–131 loss to the Boston Celtics.^[9]

In his second year, LaRusso slightly improved his statistics from his rookie season. In his second game of the season, LaRusso recorded a career-high 28 points in a 96–112 loss to the St. Louis Hawks.^[10]

In 1962, he scored 50 points, at that point the most ever by a Jewish NBA basketball player, in a game for the Lakers against the St. Louis Hawks.^[7] In 1967–68, he finished seventh in the league with a career-best average of 21.8 ppg.

San Francisco Warriors (1968–1969)

Player profile

He was a five-time All-Star and was known for his rebounding, tight defense, toughness, and presence.^{[2] [3]}

Personal life

LaRusso had a small cameo role in the Gilligan's Island third-season episode "Bang! Bang! Bang!" as 'Agent Michaels'.

He died of Parkinson's disease in 2004. He has a son, Corey LaRusso, and a daughter from another marriage, Christine Larusso, a Los Angeles-based poet.

Career statistics

NBA

Source^[11]

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
	Minneapolis	71	29.5	.389	.742	9.6	1.2	13.7
	L.A. Lakers	79*	32.8	.419	.790	9.9	1.7	14.6
	L.A. Lakers	80*	34.4	.466	.763	10.4	2.2	17.2
	L.A. Lakers	75	33.4	.422	.718	10.0	2.5	12.3
	L.A. Lakers	79	34.8	.434	.751	10.1	2.4	12.3
	L.A. Lakers	77	33.6	.461	.773	9.4	2.6	14.1
	L.A. Lakers	76	30.5	.457	.787	8.7	2.2	15.4
	L.A. Lakers	45	28.7	.415	.696	7.8	1.7	12.8
	San Francisco	79	35.7	.433	.790	9.4	2.3	21.8
	San Francisco	75	37.1	.410	.794	8.3	2.1	20.7
Career		736	33.3	.431	.767	9.4	2.1	15.6
All-Star		4	17.5	.481	.333	4.3	1.5	7.3 Playoffs Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG 1960 Minneapolis 9 35.7 .424 .771 7.8 2.4 15.4 1961 L.A. Lakers 12* 30.0 .396 .667 8.0 2.0 12.2 1962 L.A. Lakers 13 35.5 .365 .758 9.1 1.7 14.1 1963 L.A. Lakers 13* 35.8 .422 .760 9.8 2.2 14.4 1964 L.A. Lakers 5 37.8 .394 .864 6.0 2.2 9.0 1965 L.A. Lakers 11 35.9 .409 .716 8.1 2.6 15.0 1966 L.A. Lakers 14 28.4 .460 .791 7.1 1.9 11.9 1968 San Francisco 10 38.5 .396 .728 9.9 1.7 20.3 1969 San Francisco 6 35.8 .378 .774 8.5 2.5 18.2 Career 93 34.3 .405 .751 8.4 2.1 14.5 See also List of select Jewish basketball players External links

Notes and References

1. News: Rudy LaRusso, 66; Played on 1st L.A. Laker Team. Crowe. Jerry. July 10, 2004. Los Angeles Times. August 25, 2012.
2. Book: 100 Things Lakers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Springer, S.. Sharman, B.. 2012. Triumph Books. 9781617495847. 38. January 8, 2017.
3. Book: Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon. Lazenby, R.. 2010. Random House Publishing Group. 9780345519269. 229. January 8, 2017.
4. Web site: LaRusso, Rudy : Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum. jewsinsports.org. January 8, 2017.
5. Book: The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and the 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars. Horvitz, P.S.. 2007. SPI Books. 9781561719075. 146. January 8, 2017.
6. https://books.google.com/books?id=pDLECwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Rudy+LaRusso%22+%22dartmouth%22&pg=PA175 The Los Angeles Lakers Encyclopedia – Richard J. Shmelter – Google Books
7. Book: Day by Day in Jewish Sports History. Wechsler, B.. 2008. KTAV Publishing House. 9781602800137. 74. January 8, 2017.
8. Web site: Minneapolis Lakers at Cincinnati Royals Box Score, November 26, 1959. Basketball-Reference. September 18, 2019.
9. Web site: Minneapolis Lakers vs Boston Celtics Box Score, February 24, 1960. Basketball-Reference. September 18, 2019.
10. Web site: Los Angeles Lakers at St. Louis Hawks Box Score, October 22, 1960. Basketball-Reference. September 18, 2019.
11. Web site: Rudy LaRusso NBA statistics. Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. 1 October 2023.